Meet Canada’s Top Obedience Dogs

How long have you been training dogs? I’ve been training dogs for 24 years. During that time I’ve had the opportunity to work with dogs from each of the seven groups.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. With Edge, we compete in obedience, and have dabbled in rally. However, in the past, with my other dogs, I’ve competed in Sieger events, as well as herding, tracking and rally.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? 2016 was a fabulous year for Edge. This was his second consecutive year as the #1 Obedience Dog. He gives his all whenever he steps into the ring. There really isn’t any one particular moment that I can single out.

Most consistent exercise? Edge is pretty well rounded in all of his exercises. We have good days and bad days, just like everyone else, but overall he’s pretty consistent.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? When we first started training, Edge’s greatest difficulty was that he loved people and he would break from an exercise to visit whoever might be nearby. (If you smiled at him, you were definitely in trouble.) His love of people hasn’t faded, but with maturity he’s now managed to contain himself until after he’s out of the ring.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. This sport is meant to be quality time between you and your dog, and you both should be having fun. But, like anything that you want to do well, there’s a certain amount of work to be done in order to prepare. Don’t let the size of the event and other people in attendance intimidate you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And remember, we’re all in this together, so be supportive of others.

How long have you been training dogs? I have been training dogs for 30 years.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. Obedience and rally, in Canada, the U.S. and Bermuda.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? There really wasn’t one event that stands out. The whole year was amazing. Vegas obtained five titles – OTCh., OTChX and MOTCh. in Canada and CDX titles in both the U.S. and Bermuda. She also did really well at the HIT of HITs.

Most consistent exercise? Heeling.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? The sit and down stays.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Try to remember that they are dogs – any goals made are yours, not theirs. They do this because we ask them to. Try to keep it fun for both of you, which isn’t always easy to do when the frustrations hit. At the end of the day, they are our best friends no matter how many ribbons, titles and goals achieved.

How long have you been training dogs? I have been training and trialling dogs for over 40 years. Scooter is my fourth GMOTCh. Poodle.

List other events you participate in with your dogs. My last two Minis were conformation champions. I have also titled dogs in rally and retriever tests.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? This year Scooter was invited to Westminster – a first for me, for sure.

Most consistent exercise? Our most consistent exercise in Open would be the broad jump and the scent articles in Utility. He likes both these exercises, and I try to keep the fun in all his training.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? His most difficult to perfect seemed to be the signals exercise in Utility. He would prefer not to be that far away from me and waiting was tricky to teach. Once Poodles know the routine, it seems anticipation takes over. Patience is not his virtue.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. I always tell students not to be in a rush to trial. Make sure the dog is mature enough to handle the ring. If you really want to trial, try rally or fun matches first. If you are getting into the sport, find the best trainer/coach you can find and take your time building a great foundation. Enjoy your dog and his training journey. Have fun along the way.

How long have you been training dogs? I have been training dogs since 1978.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. I have also trialled my dogs in rally.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? It is hard to identify any memorable win, as she did quite well. Any leg towards a GMOTCh. is exciting.

Most consistent exercise? The most consistent exercise would be the group exercises (sit and down stays). This can change quickly but she has done really well with them.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? I think directed jumping in Utility is the most difficult to master. The dogs are required to go out to walls and fences, which differ with every venue. As with every venue comes different distractions.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. I would encourage new people to have an open mind and learn as much as possible. Take information from all sources. Some trainers have their own way of doing things and some trainers continually learn from other trainers and exhibitors. Always compete as a team and have fun. Encourage others to do their best regardless of scores. There is no sport where you will have more personal satisfaction than in dog obedience.

How long have you been training dogs? Ellie and I began our amazing training journey almost 20 years ago, which still makes us relative newcomers to the sport.

List other events you participate in with your dog: Rally and retriever field tests.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? The highlight of 2016 was our unexpected first-place win in the Open class at the annual HIT of HITs competition. For us that was travelling in pretty fast company. Although we lost the final run-off to Rose Apollonio and her great Golden ‘Edge,’ we still finished the multi-trial weekend with the top overall combined score award.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? Our most difficult and persistent competition challenges are the endless ways we can lose points on the fine precision details in obedience, mostly fronts and finishes.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. The best I can offer is to lighten up! This game is supposed to be fun. It is impossible for a dog to have any fun if their human partner is behaving as if an obedience trial was a public beheading with the judge playing the role of Grim Reaper. Relax, have fun, keep your perspective and remember that every mistake, by handler or dog, provides a great positive training and learning opportunity for next time.

How long have you been training dogs? I’ve been training dogs since the 1960s, and have competed for over 22 years.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. Agility and retriever field work.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? We only did limited trialling (didn’t campaign) in 2016, but the whole year was memorable. This was the year that the ”Wild Child” started to mature, settle, and gain focus and accuracy in obedience.

Most consistent exercise? His most consistent exercise is the broad jump.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? His most difficult exercise has been the stationary sit and sit-stays. He is very ”high drive” and getting him to sit still has been a challenge.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Enjoy the bond that develops between you and your dog. It’s not the accolades that you will remember in future years, it’s the wonderful times that you share during a memorable journey with your best friend.

How long have you been training dogs? I started training my first Golden, ‘Bonnie,’ in 1997.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. In addition to doing obedience, Fracas has been trialled in rally and retriever field tests.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? Our most memorable competition in 2016 was the Lakeshore (Montreal) trials in April, when Fracas earned four HITs. These were particularly emotional HITs in that each HIT plaque was donated by a Lakeshore member in memory of a much-loved dog. I want these donors to know much we value and appreciate their love for their dogs and their generosity in sharing that.

Most consistent exercise? Frac is a pretty consistent guy. He really doesn’t have any particularly strong or weak exercise in Open. In Utility, his most consistent is the signals exercise.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? In Utility, the scent articles were the most difficult exercise for him to master.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Don’t go into the ring until you feel confident and able to enjoy yourself. And never believe that not qualifying means you failed. To be successful, you must be able to take great pride in small accomplishments – many of which can be achieved even (or especially) in classes in which you don’t qualify.

How long have you been training dogs? Caesar is the first dog I’ve ever owned or trained. I began training him about 6-1/2 years ago.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. We started rally last spring and finished our RAE in the fall. In the summer, we train for hunting tests. Caesar has completed the three Working Certificates and we are currently working on his Master Hunter.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? We are often running back and forth between the obedience and rally rings, so there isn’t one in particular that stands out. However, we did compete in the HITof HITs in October. We did not perform as well as I would have liked, but it was an honour to be able to compete with top competitors in that event. The fact that we are in the Top 10 after having competed mainly in Utility is my proudest accomplishment.

Most consistent exercise? Caesar is pretty consistent in most exercises. Most of our point deductions are on fronts and finishes.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? The exercise he likes the least is the scent articles; however, it wasn’t the most difficult to train. The most challenging exercise was probably the moving stand because he is a little too social and likes to greet the judge.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Watch the other competitors and find style(s) that you like. Most competitors are happy to help if you have a question in terms of how they train an exercise, energize their dog, fix a problem, etc. Keep in mind, they might not be willing to talk if they are preparing to go into the ring, so try to pick a good time to approach them.

How long have you been training dogs? We been training for as long as I’ve had him, which is 5-1/2 years. He is the first Dane to earn the CKC’s MOTCh. title and holds the points record in obedience for a Dane.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. We participate in obedience, rally, agility (Jumpers class only) and barn hunt.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? The most memorable trial would be Sudbury in December where Askar scored his highest with a 196 in the Open class. (He also earned his American Utility title in September!)

Most consistent exercise? The most consistent exercise for Askar would be the sit and down stays.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? The most difficult at the moment is directed jumping. Studies claim Great Danes are not an intelligent breed. I can’t disagree more. Askar learns very quickly... it’s motivating him to do the same thing over and over that is the biggest challenge.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Start training your dog as a young puppy. If someone tells your dog is not trainable, find another trainer. Try different trainers for different perspectives. Train in different environments (parks, parking lots near distractions), on different surfaces and in different conditions (snow and rain, daytime and nighttime). Motivation, motivation, motivation. Be creative. Most of all, have fun, which I’m still trying to do.

List other events you participate in with you dogs. Rally, hunt tests, Working Certificate tests, tracking, Draft Dog (carting), agility and recreational sledding.

Most memorable win/trial in 2016? The Hub City Kennel & Obedience Club trials in Saskatoon in May was the first trial Emy passed six of six entries and also completed her MOTCh. I remember it well because I felt we weren’t well prepared for the weekend and considered not going, but Emy proved me wrong!

Most consistent exercise? All of the Open exercises. I think she failed to qualify in Open four times all year, and two of those were due to an extremely bad dumbbell bounce on the retrieve over the high jump.

Most difficult exercise for your dog to master? Utility’s scent discrimination was a challenge for her, and anything she can anticipate. We have to work a lot on not anticipating, while doing the drop on recall, signals and the moving stand exercises.

Advice you would give someone new to obedience trials. Remember it’s just a dog sport/hobby and it’s your idea, not your dogs. Have fun training and enjoy the time with your dog. Be fair to your dog by ensuring she’s prepared both mentally and physically and if she makes a mistake, don’t sweat it.

The Canadian Kennel Club is a national, member-based non-profit organization, incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. It provides registry services for all officially recognized breeds of purebred dogs. Provides governance for all CKC approved dog shows, dog trials and canine events. Finally, the CKC is a communication organization informing all people interested in dogs.